In the short story “the Rocking-Horse Winner,” by D. H. Lawrence, though its precise setting is not stated, the author lived during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the Derby is an English horse race, so it can be guessed that the story took place in England at the turn of the 20th century . A great unrest pervaded the country as the disenfranchised grew more and more dissatisfied. This turmoil displayed itself in Paul, the young protagonist. Paul, a young boy, wanted desperately to be lucky, a trait his mother told him was quite lacking in the family The story details a time in his life, when his family struggled to keep up with their lavish lifestyle. His mother, an unhappy jaded woman, told him that their family simply
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Hester’s greed is commonplace. Desire for money, for physical possessions, is a disease anyone may fall to. There is a widespread perception that with wealth comes happiness, security, higher social standing, and even people who speak at length about the evils of greed would most likely admit that they would be more comfortable with just a little more money. Even though Hester lived comfortably, she still felt constant anxiety over maintaining the family’s lifestyle. The security and the happiness that were supposed to come from wealth had evaded her. When Paul generously gifted her five-hundred pounds, supposed to be given out over five years, she asked for it to be given to her at once, and went on to spend it on new furniture and tutors and expensive schooling. Still there is no indication that this made her happy. With Paul, his greed took on a more unusual form. Paul desired to be lucky, and he poured his whole being into the pursuit of luckiness. His betting was not out of desire for money, but for the sake of winning. Just as Hester’s greed weighed on her greatly, Paul’s desire was extraordinarily taxing. When his power to prophesy about horse races left him, Paul felt almost physical agony. If he could not predict who would win, he was not lucky anymore. In the end, Paul paid the ultimate price to satisfy his cravings one last time. In both circumstances, each was consumed by …show more content…
Lawrence grew up in a time when England was the most urbanised country, with over half its population crammed into the cities, working long hours in dangerous factories for a pittance. Lawrence’s parents were a part of this working class group, working in a lace-factory and a mine. This reflects in the story; the constant anxiety over money was something Paul’s family, and the majority of English families knew intimately.Those who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth wished to rise above where they had came. The rich kept the working class firmly underfoot however, wanting to keep their wealth firmly in their own hands, which resulted in factories being unsafe, and workers being paid barely anything. The anxiety over money became a key motivation in sparking progress, fighting back. Without anxiety, Paul would not have found his power. For good or worse, it fundamentally changed England and
Hester’s greed is commonplace. Desire for money, for physical possessions, is a disease anyone may fall to. There is a widespread perception that with wealth comes happiness, security, higher social standing, and even people who speak at length about the evils of greed would most likely admit that they would be more comfortable with just a little more money. Even though Hester lived comfortably, she still felt constant anxiety over maintaining the family’s lifestyle. The security and the happiness that were supposed to come from wealth had evaded her. When Paul generously gifted her five-hundred pounds, supposed to be given out over five years, she asked for it to be given to her at once, and went on to spend it on new furniture and tutors and expensive schooling. Still there is no indication that this made her happy. With Paul, his greed took on a more unusual form. Paul desired to be lucky, and he poured his whole being into the pursuit of luckiness. His betting was not out of desire for money, but for the sake of winning. Just as Hester’s greed weighed on her greatly, Paul’s desire was extraordinarily taxing. When his power to prophesy about horse races left him, Paul felt almost physical agony. If he could not predict who would win, he was not lucky anymore. In the end, Paul paid the ultimate price to satisfy his cravings one last time. In both circumstances, each was consumed by …show more content…
Lawrence grew up in a time when England was the most urbanised country, with over half its population crammed into the cities, working long hours in dangerous factories for a pittance. Lawrence’s parents were a part of this working class group, working in a lace-factory and a mine. This reflects in the story; the constant anxiety over money was something Paul’s family, and the majority of English families knew intimately.Those who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouth wished to rise above where they had came. The rich kept the working class firmly underfoot however, wanting to keep their wealth firmly in their own hands, which resulted in factories being unsafe, and workers being paid barely anything. The anxiety over money became a key motivation in sparking progress, fighting back. Without anxiety, Paul would not have found his power. For good or worse, it fundamentally changed England and